Situation: Stuck
by Loopstagirl
Summary: Gordon finds himself in an interesting predicament, and isn't sure quite how long he can hold on until he is rescued!


**A good luck pressie for Once. A. Queen. Of. Narnia! I hope tomorrow goes ok for you! Based on part of our very random conversation, without giving too much away!**

**Surprise, surprise, i still don't own the Thunderbirds, Gerry Anderson does! He just won't let me have them! :) Thank you to piratemoose for beta-ing, as normal! *hug***

Gordon had never been any good at standing still. His need for constant movement and his never ending supply of energy had always been something of both constant amusement and exasperation to his family, especially when they couldn't keep up with the red-headed youth. Now, however, the aquanaut seriously hated that aspect of himself as, according to Virgil, any movement could be potentially lethal. He didn't know how long he had already been stuck here for. It felt like a lifetime, but Gordon knew it can't have been that long. And yet, considering the time frame Virgil had given him until they would be able to properly pull him free of the predicament he was now finding himself in, he knew that he would have to be able to hold on for a little while longer at least.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't stuck in his IR uniform. Never before had he realised quite how hot it could get when stuck in that material with no escape presenting itself. What he would do just to be able to dive in his pool right now, the cool water cascading over him as he worked the tension out of his muscles with strong, easy strokes that came as a second nature to the water loving Tracy. Making to shift his weight to a more balanced position, Gordon once more froze as Virgil let out a warning growl, a clear indication of what could happen if Gordon moved so much as an inch. He wasn't even allowed to scratch his nose, which had thankfully not itched since… since he now began to think about it.

Trying to subtly wiggle the offending part of his body without the medic noticing, Gordon was hard pushed not to laugh when he considered how he must look to someone else. Although the laughing was easily held back by the situation he was in, a clear reminder of the sacrifices the Thunderbird's were prepared to make on a daily basis for the good of the world. As his nose twitched again, a beep resonated from his watch.

Wondering how to activate it without moving, Gordon practically jumped when John's voice came spiralling out of his wrist without him having done anything. No doubt his genius of a brother had manually activated from Five; knowing too well the situation Gordon was in. John himself had been stuck in something similar during their training scenarios, and knew quite how hard it was to not move or risk absolutely everything. Unfortunately for Gordon, John had a natural stillness about him, meaning he had been able to remain still even when Jeff talked them through the scenario at the same time. Right now, Gordon envied that about his brother. Carefully wiggling his toes to try and keep the blood circulating, Gordon was just contemplating whether or not he could risk talking, when John cut in there first

"Hey, bud, you holding up ok? Oops, sorry, know you can't answer that. Well, Alan told me to keep you company, I think he feels bad for freaking out when he saw you."

As John paused, Gordon mentally growled at his only younger brother. Alan had taken one look at the trouble Gordon had managed to land himself in (it _really_ hadn't been his fault) and bolted. Within seconds, he had returned with field commander/biggest brother in tow, making Gordon practically shake (if he had been allowed) at the look on Scott's face for managing to get himself in difficulty again. Despite the fact that Gordon wasn't allowed to move or risk death, Scott had been remarkably cool about the whole thing, merely rolling his eyes and letting Alan drag him off to discuss rescue methods for their brother.

"…Anyway," John continued, making Gordon drag his attention back to his brother. "Here I am. Although I have to say, it's hard having a one way conversation. Hmm… anyway…oh, hold on a sec, Gords, I've got a transmission coming through."

And with that, John disconnected, leaving Gordon more irritated than anything else. What else did John expect him to do but `hold on`? It was what every single one of them kept telling him over the last hour or so, and Gordon was beginning to get really sick of it. At least Virgil had kept him company, sometimes keeping up a flow of chatter that Gordon didn't understand half of, but he could tell just by the tone of voice that Virgil was trying to keep him calm whilst spending the rest of the time in thoughtful silence, only growling whenever Gordon tried to move.

"Virg…"

"Gordon! Don't!" Inwardly sighing (for he didn't dare risk it any other way), Gordon went back to gazing intently on the only thing that was managing to hold his attention. Luckily, something was working for the second youngest and the view was quite pleasant, a stretch of ocean for as far as the eye could see. If he hadn't been able to see that, Gordon was sure that he would moved by now which, if Virgil's reactions were anything to go by, would mean certain doom. Instead, the setting sun - though earlier it had proved to be troublesome due to the angle it was reflecting on the water - was now creating a charming sight in front of him. For a few precious moments, Gordon was able to forget the situation he was in, and instead imagine himself out on a small boat, bobbing in the vast expanse of the ocean and then diving into the clear, cool water.

"Gordon!" Snapping himself back alert again, Gordon immediately stiffened; knowing by Virgil's alarmed call that he had sagged again. It was just so hard to stay focused, to force himself to keep still. It was against everything in Gordon's nature to stay still, and his accursed nose was _still _itching.

"How ya doing, bro?" Flicking his eyes over to the side, Gordon mustered up the best glare he could manage. Scott knew full well that the team medic thought talking was enough of a risk that could spell disaster for Gordon, yet was leaning quite casually on a support, arms crossed, position relaxed. His normal protectiveness seemed to be lacking, almost as if he was making Gordon wait for as long as he could before pulling him to safety. No doubt it was pay back, but that last prank had been one of Gordon's best, even if he did say so himself. No doubt if it was any of the others in this situation, Scott would have been acting completely differently. Especially if it was Alan, the kid's ability to stay still was just as bad as Gordon's, but at least the military training and Olympic swimming meant the older of the two had the practice of self discipline. You can't win gold without pushing your body to levels it didn't want to do. Knowing he could receive no answer from Gordon, Scott instead turned his attention to Virgil.

"How's he doing?"

"If he doesn't keep trying to move-," Gordon glanced sheepishly away at Virgil's words, "- then he should be alright."

"Gordon, you know that you have to listen to what the medic says, especially in something like this. I could full well have you grounded for a month for not following orders. No rescues. No 'birds."

Glaring the best he could, Gordon growled as Scott merely smirked, before strolling off and heading back towards his own 'bird. Yep, definitely pay back then. The only help Scott had been so far was to keep unwanted attention away from his red headed brother.

"Not much longer now, Gords, I promise," Virgil muttered, obviously picking up on the distress signals coming from his brother. Frankly, he was surprised Gordon had managed to last this long, but he had informed his fish of a brother precisely what would happen to him if he moved an inch or uttered a word. So far, the younger had been lucky; his inability to stay quiet had caused some problems, but Virgil knew that it wouldn't be long until he was free.

Trying desperately to ignore the increasing itch in his nose, Gordon instead opted for thinking of a comeback for Scott for his uncaring attitude. Unfortunately, the more he tried to ignore his nose, the worse it got, and within a matter of seconds, the swimmer could feel a sneeze building up. Casting Virgil an alarmed look, Gordon took the plunge.

"Virg-,"

"Gordon, what have I-," breaking off as he caught sight of the expression on Gordon's face, Virgil paled. "A few more minutes, please. Come on, Gords, hold on." Watching Virgil turn frantically back to what he was doing, Gordon tried every trick he knew to stop the sneeze. Virgil was almost done, and when he was, Gordon's escape route would also be complete.

"Ok, you're good to go." Not a moment too soon, the words finally came that Gordon had been longing for since he had first landed himself in the situation.

"Achoooo!"

"Nice one, Gords," Alan commented lightly, wandering onto the scene. Standing next to Virgil, the youngster looked appreciatively over his brother's shoulder. "Wow, Virg, that looks great!"

Forcing his cramped legs forward, Gordon stumbled over to where his brothers stood to look at the masterpiece. He would so love to know whose great idea it had been to hide the entrance to their 'birds with portraits, for he was going to make them pay dearly.

"Isn't it Alan's turn yet?" Gordon asked innocently, noting with a smirk how quickly Alan suddenly disappeared. If there was one thing he hated as much as his older brother, it was having his portrait painted by Virgil.


End file.
